serious; severe; grave; acute
itinerary; travel plans; distance (of a trip); journey
shortening; contraction; reduction; curtailment; abbreviation
sudden; abrupt; improvised; hasty; impromptu skit; bandwagon fan
last years; closing years; last days; closing days; end; last stage
self-proclaimed; self-professed; professing oneself to be; calling oneself; first person
while looking on in blank amazement; before one's very eyes; before one knew what was happening
holder (of a record, title, permit, etc.)
loan; lending; favor; favour; creditor; method of lending
correspondence; communication; transmission; news; signal; telecommunications
tenacious; persistent; stubborn; vindictive; spiteful; vengeful
fast approach; quick intimacy
cesspool; sink; manure sink
to flash (e.g. lightning); to flicker; to flutter (e.g. flag); to wave; to flash into one's mind (e.g. an idea); to come to one suddenly
a matter of course; what is to be expected; par for the course
to put oneself on guard; to stand ready; to square off
haste; hurry; urgency; in a hurry; quickly; with haste
leaving behind; desertion; abandonment
to pull (the puppet) strings; to direct things from behind the scenes; to stretch out (and keep going); to linger on
lethality; killing effectiveness
infectivity; infectious capacity; transmissibility
deciding first; settling (a matter) first; first priority
to be about to enter (a bath, etc.)
brown; light brown; tawny
maintenance; servicing; putting in place; development; improvement
staying up all night; all-night vigil
rate; ratio; proportion; percentage
wildly different (in ability, strength, etc.); on another level; in a different league; of different heights; uneven
seeing two people (i.e. romantically) at the same time; two-timing; bifurcation; fork; fence-sitting; playing it both ways
an instant; a split second; no time at all; (lit.) time of an "ah!"
to gather; to (pick up and) collect; to glean (information)
miscellaneous goods; general goods; sundries
secret (recipe, medicine, etc.); mysteries (e.g. of an art)
especially; particularly; above all; portioning out (servings of food)
to eat up (completely); to put down (a rebellion); to suppress; (arch.) to make flat; (arch.) to level out
kaki; Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki)
with the skin on; skin and all (fruit, potato, etc.)
feeling good; feeling pleasant
to push aside; to push one's way through
glaring at; scowling at; looking contemptuously at; frowning down upon; domineering with a coercive look
to make a mistake (in); to commit an error; to get wrong; to mistake (one thing for another); to confuse